How Mattress Pads Are Made
Mattress Pads - How It's Made
A photo-story detailing the manufacturing process behind the production of high-quality quilted mattress pads and mattress protectors.
Mattress pads are an everyday product that you probably never put much thought into how they are made. Although on the surface it seems like a simple, ordinary product, the mattress protectors are actually a complex product to manufacture, from quilting 3 layers of materials together, to choosing the right cam to produce a nice pattern, to sewing on the skirt, some with a deep pocket, some with a "regular" product.
All images are shot in the actual factory. Feel free to use elsewhere as long as you link back here.
Mattress Pads are a Sandwich
Every mattress pad has at least 3 layers, the top fabric, some form of batting and the bottom fabric. The picture here is of the large rolls (300 yards rolls) of the mattress pad fabric. Ultra-high end mattress pads will usually feature a 100% Egyptian cotton, 300 thread count (or more) top fabric. In most cases this is overkill since you will be putting a high thread count sheet set over the mattress protector anyway. In our factory, we usually use a simple yet durable muslin fabric, which hits that sweet spot between value and price.
The Batting is Loaded on the Machine
In the middle of the fabric sandwich is a layer of quilt batting. On the high end, this will be cotton batting but usually (and in our factory) it is 100% polyester batting. The weight used can vary, but generally you want to use a weight that is at least 10 ounces per square yard - this ensures that there are no empty patches or areas that are not thick enough. A uniform thickness is important to providing a beautiful end product.
The quilting begins
It is quite noisy...
The machine quilts the fabric and batting together, using a cam to create a pattern for the quilting.
